Studying history involves having a basic curiosity with a focus on understanding the “Five Ws” of the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” fundamental questions. There are also five core thinking skills to be aware of when you are reading and analyzing historical materials:
1. Chronological Reasoning and Contextualization
Thinking chronologically: Distinguishing between past, present, and future as well as identifying changes over time.
Contextualization: Locating an event, document, or artifact in its specific time and place to understand why it happened. Looking for the circumstances, environment, or history surrounding an event.
Cause and Effect: Looking for, identifying, and analyzing possible multiple, complex factors that could have resulted in the occurrence of historical events rather than suspecting just one single factor.
2. Source Analysis
Primary Source Evaluation: Assessing the credibility, authorship, and purpose of first-hand sources (letters, diaries, images/photos). Using historical documents, artifacts, and first-hand accounts in addition to books.
Secondary Source Analysis: Evaluating how modern historians interpret the past and identifying their underlying reasons.
Corroboration: Comparing multiple sources against one another to find points of agreement, contradiction, or gaps in sources.
3. Perspective-Taking and Empathy
Historical Empathy: Understanding the mindsets, values, and constraints of people in the past without judging them by modern moral standards. Connecting historical events or finding similarities in comparing them to contemporary life and modern issues.
Multi-Perspective Analysis: Examining a single historical event through the eyes of different groups (e.g. elites vs. working class, colonizers vs. Indigenous peoples).
4. Evidence-Based Argumentation
Claim Development: Formulating a clear, defensible statement about a historical event or trend.
Using Evidence: Selecting and integrating specific facts, quotes, and data from sources to support a historical argument. Weigh conflicting evidence, analyze context (circumstances, environment, background, or settings), and build arguments.
Sustained Writing: Constructing cohesive narrative articles or essays that explain complex research findings.
5. Historical Continuity and Change
Identifying Continuity: Recognizing what elements of society, politics, or culture remained stable over long periods of time.
Assessing Change: Measuring the pace, direction, and impact of shifts in human history.
6. Document the Sources of Your Research
It is extremely important to keep a detailed list of the validated sources and links in the course of doing research for easy access in documenting them. Having a record of the sources will be of assistance for both present and future research and writing.
Also, if an item can’t be verified as to where it originated from, it is very important to document this limitation when citing sources. This prevents future researchers from citing sources with an unverified history.